Junior Jacob Ognacevic, who leads the Crusaders in scoring and is third in the state at 30.5 points per game, says the numbers you put up on the court mean more than when a player was born.

“We don’t really look at age here, just look at skill and we’re all looking out for each other,” Ognacevic said.

That’s made all the difference according to Casey Verhagen.

“My teammates have never treated me as a freshman, so I’ve just been given the opportunity to be the point guard,” Casey Verhagen said.

At this point in the season, he’s really no longer considered a freshman by his father, either.

“I think he’s past that now,” Nick Verhagen said. “At the beginning of the season it might have been little more difficult for him to handle my criticism and expectations.”

It’s fair to say he’s done everything he could have at the position, helping guide Lutheran to a meeting Friday morning at the Kohl Center in Madison against Chippewa Falls McDonnell in the WIAA Division 5 state semifinal.

The offense has been humming with the freshman at the helm, averaging nearly 83 points per game. He also broke the school’s single-season assist record, held by Nick Leibham, which stood for 20 years.

“He’s risen beyond his own expectations, which is difficult, because nobody has higher expectations for him than himself,” Nick Verhagen said.

Playing the role of facilitator hasn’t always been his first responsibility but it’s one Casey Verhagen has thrived in, according to Nick Verhagen.

“He’s adapted to a role,” Nick Verhagen said. “He’s always been the leading scorer on his team from grade school to middle school and he understands that role might come again but that time is not now, so he’s taken on the role of facilitator.”

The freshman admits it’s pretty easy to get assists when players like Ognacevic and seniors Delvin Barnstable (17.7 ppg) and Graden Grabowski (10.4) give him so many options.

“I give credit to my teammates, they’ve been hitting shots. I’ve just always been that guy to make the extra pass,” Casey Verhagen said.

Both Ognacevic and Barnstable sung his praises at knowing just the right time to find them.

“This year he’s playing very, very well and I’m thankful to have him as my point guard because he finds me really good,” Ognacevic said.

“He’s living up to the hype and I think he’ll be great all four years,” Barnstable said.

That kind of vision isn’t common for a 14-year-old.

“He has vision like nobody else I’ve really seen before at his age,” Nick Verhagen said. “His ability to see the floor and dribble and sprint at the same time is a God-given ability that many kids his age don’t have.”

Casey Verhagen says one of the biggest moments of his young career was playing at Oostburg on Feb. 4, but knows a bigger stage awaits Friday.

“The atmosphere was just awesome and I was like this is real, but the Kohl Center is going to be even better,” Casey Verhagen said.

Contact Tom Dombeck at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Tom_Dombeck.